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Tiger I
- Bellwall Tiger= }} |caption1= |production=1942-1944 |engine=Maybach HL230 P45 V-12 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) |armament=1,346 |armour= Turret Front: 100mm Side: 80mm Back: 80mm Hull Front: 100mm Side: 80mm Back: 80mm |speed=*38 km/h (24 mph) (road) *16 km/h (10 mph) (off-road) |known_users = |country_of_origin = Nazi Germany |main_armament = 1 x 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 |secondary_armament = 2 x 7.92 mm MG 34 |user = * Bellwall Academy * Kuromorimine Girls Academy |weight = 57 tonnes |length/width/height = *Length : 8.45m *Width : 3.71m *Height : 3.00m |designer = Henschel & Söhn AG}} The Tiger I '''(official designation: '''Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf. E; ordnance inventory designation: Sd.Kfz. 181) was a German heavy tank and one of the most famous, effective, and well-known armoured vehicles of all time. It was generally considered to be balanced in terms of armor, armament, and mobility despite the high maintenance cost and it's appearance on the battlefields of Europe in World War II. In the anime, it appeared in a flashback in Episode 5, and was first seen during Episode 6. History Development Henschel & Sohn began the development of a large tank design in January 1937 when the Waffenamt requested Henschel to develop a Durchbruchwagen ("breakthrough vehicle") in the 30–33 tonne range. Only one prototype hull was ever built and it was never fitted with a turret. The Durchbruchwagen I's general shape and suspension resembled the Panzer III, while the turret resembled the early Panzer IV C turret with the short-barrelled 7.5 cm L/24 cannon. Before Durchbruchwagen I was completed, a request was issued for a heavier 30-tonne class vehicle with thicker armour; this was the Durchbruchwagen II, which would have had 50 mm (2 in) of frontal armour and mounted a Panzer IV turret with a short-barrelled 7.5 cm L/24 gun. Overall weight would have been 36 tonnes. Only one hull was built and no turret was fitted. Further development of the Durchbruchwagen was dropped in 1938 in favour of the larger and better-armoured VK 30.01 (H) and VK 36.01 (H) designs. Both the Durchbruchwagen I and II prototype hulls were used as test vehicles until 1941. Meeting the then-formidable Soviet tanks like the T-34 or the KV-1 '''(with the latter possessing armor that could not be reliably penetrated by anything other the '''FlaK 18 88 mm gun) during''' Operation Barbarossa in the summer of 1941 led to an urgent need for tanks that were better armoured and equipped with better fire power. Description The '''Tiger (weighing some 50 metric tonnes) was almost twice as large as the earlier Panzer IV. Although it featured very thick armour, considerably including the sides and sometimes rear (reaching up to a maximum of 120mm around the gun's mantle) combined with the effective 8.8 cm KwK 36 (a tank gun variant of the famous 8.8 cm FlaK), it was by no means particularly slow, thanks to its powerful Maybach Hl210 engine (later changed to the Panthers HL230 in July 1943). To support such a massive weight, a torsion-bar suspension with the wheels arranged in a peculiar, and popular Schachtellaufwerk (overlapping road wheels) design, with very wide tracks to reduce ground pressure; a lesson learned in the Soviet Union. The Ausf.E had three main models. The earliest model can be recognized by the two headlamps on the hull front of the tank and a drum-type commander's cupola. The mid-production model can be recognized by a single headlamp between the machine gun ball and the driver's visor and a shortened commander's cupola. The late and final model had a different Schachtellaufwerk ''arrangement and had steel road wheels in replacement of the ones with rubber tires on the earlier models. While powerful and very resilient, the '''Tiger' was also quite a troublesome tank: its weight meant that it was unable to use most bridges, the turret traverse was slow, and, although better than its failed Porsche counterpart, it suffered from reliability problems throughout its career; Tiger units rarely completed a road march without having some tanks suffering breakdowns. The tracks and road wheels ensemble proved difficult to maintain, especially in harsh climate conditions (being very susceptible to mud and ice), and recovery on the battlefield was also quite problematic. More importantly, as the war dragged on, its price (in money and resources) was very high, costing as much as four times more than the ably-performing StuG III. Service History Despite this, and despite the fact that the first tanks were rushed to the front line too early (near Leningrad, on September 1942), the Tiger soon rose to prominence on all the battlefields it went to. Usually employed in separate heavy tank battalions, it proved both impenetrable to almost all the Allies' weapons (during its time) at anything other than point-blank range, only later guns like the OQF 17-Pounder, the 90 mm M3 and the 122mm D-25T ever managed to reliably defeat its frontal armour. It was also capable of destroying almost all the enemy's tanks at extreme long ranges. There are reports of Tigers knocking out enemy tanks at distances up to 4 km (2.5 miles), a feat made possible due to its excellent optical sights. Tanks that made up the backbone of the Allies' armoured forces such as the American M4 Sherman or the Russian T-34 often had to resort to flanking tactics to overcome such enemies, with the prospective losses of some, if not most, of their own forces. The Japanese assessment on the Tiger In 1943, Japan requested their embassy in Germany to inspect new tanks Germany had been working on. The man assigned to lead this team was General Hiroshi Oshima. In 1943, Hiroshi spent a large portion of time conducting tests and personal trials in Siverskaya (Leningrad Oblast) with the 502nd Heavy Panzer Battalion. While there he and his team were able to get a firm grasp on the Panzer VI Tiger’s capabilities. To Hiroshi’s standards, the vehicle preformed outstandingly and wanted it to be purchased for use. After that, the company was ordered to transfer all tank documentation to Japan. One disassembled Tiger was sent to Bordeaux on October 14, 1943, to be delivered to Japan by submarine. However, the vehicle was never delivered, and the Japanese were never able to establish their own production of Tigers. This enterprise cost 645,000 Reichsmarks to Japan, while the original cost was 300,000 Reichsmarks. In Girls und Panzer Anime Kuromorimine employs some Tiger I tanks, one of which is Maho's own command tank, a model of January/February 1943 sporting the recognisable rounded exhaust caches and Feifel sand filters of the first version. When Miho was still a Kuromorimine student she also commanded a Tiger I. The tank commanded by Maho is based upon Tiger 212, a vehicle that historians theorize was commanded by German tank ace Michael Wittmann. Maho's tank could be considered the chronological "final boss" of the series, though it's not technically the strongest tank, which would be the Maus. With only one tank in Ooarai's arsenal with comparable weaponry and protection (that being the Tiger (P)), the Tiger's technical advantage was largely offset by Ooarai's use of daring and unconventional tactics and their superior manoeuvrability; thus, they were unable to take advantage of their superior armament, although their protection served them well. During the last showdown between the two Nishizumi sisters, the superior mobility of the Panzer IV enabled Anglerfish Team to use a last-ditch tactic to drift up to the Tiger's rear, its only vulnerable point, and defeat it with a point-blank shot. This strategy, whilst effective in the end, was an extreme risk: it is possible that a shot could have penetrated the tank from the front. A shot to the side could also have proven effective, although previously a shot to the side plate is seen to bounce harmlessly off. Little Army 2 During the events of Little Army Volume 2, the Tiger I is the first tank acquired by Bellwall Academy's Sensha-dou team, under the leadership of Emi Nakasuga. The Tiger I was restored by Hitomi Yuzumoto, and first saw action against the Kashiwaba Sisters during a race. It had its first actual battle against West Kureouji Grona Academy, where it experienced some mechanical failures, particularly with its tracks, but ultimately triumphed over the enemy team, knocking out the Infantry Tank A43 "Black Prince" that led the opposing team. During the commemorative cup, it first saw action against Gilbert High School. Trivia * The color on Maho's Tiger can be a reference to Tiger 131, the only Tiger I in running/operating condition and The Tank Museum in Bovington's most famous tank. It was used in the movie Fury. Also, the turret number 212 is red, like 131, although it was positioned near to the front side of the turret and has a white border on each number. * The Tiger was operated by many famous "Panzer Aces", some of which survived WWII like Otto Carius and some others became legends like Kurt Knispel or Michael Wittman. * The Tiger that is commanded by Maho Nishizumi, Tiger 212, shares the same turret number as the one German Waffen SS Panzer Ace, Michael Wittmann, commanded in Villers-Bocage. In the fierce fighting, he took out an entire Armoured Motorized Company, 15 tanks, and extra Artillery Pieces and Anti-Tank Guns in the period of 15 minutes. After the battle, he was awarded with the prestigious "Knights Cross with Oak leaves and Swords" by der Führer himself. During the battle there was a chance to instantly kill "The Black Baron" with one shot, but the opportunity was missed because although a Cromwell Tank was in the vicinity, it didn't have its Gunner inside the tank. Luckily enough, 'The Black Baron" did not notice them. **Wittman's last commanding Tiger I tank was the Tiger 007 and was last seen near the town of Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil during Operation Totalize where he died in combat by either Joe Ekins' Sherman Firefly or rockets from a Hawker Typhoon Jabo (jagdbomber = fighter-bomber) which caused the ammo rack to explode and the turret was launched from the hull. * The Tiger that is commanded by Miho Nishizumi during the last championship is Tiger 217, sharing the same turret number as the one German Wehrmacht Tank Ace, Otto Carius, commanded during the battle of Malinava and alongside Albert Kerscher destroyed 17 tanks (including the new IS-2). Throught his career, he became one of the leading tank aces with 150 enemy tanks on his tally. He is also famous for commanding a Jagdtiger late in the war and his post-war memoirs: Tigers in the Mud: The Combat Career of German Panzer Commander Otto Carius. * This Tank was operated by Maho Nishizumi in every match of the 63rd Sensha-do championship, Miho Nishizumi in the final match of the 62nd Sensha-do championship, and Emi Nakasuga during the Commemorative Cup. * The Tiger I is one of the few tanks with the Tiger II, B1 Bis and BT-42 to possess a steering wheel for driving. * On December 10th 1943, Otto Carius's Tiger Tank gunner was annoyed by the sound of Russian fighter bullets bouncing off the tank got the permission of his commander to shoot at them. On the second shot he managed to hit the plane (presumably an IL-2M) in the wing and bring it down. * Maho's Tiger was featured as one of the special collaboration skin mods/vehicles in the World of Tanks. ** Maho's Tiger was also featured in World of Tank Blitz as a Premium Tier VI Japanese tank named Kuro Mori Mine while the regular Tiger I is a Tier VII German tank. ** In the manga, Tiger tank was shown in two versions (one of them shown in the video, which showed students). References * http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/Panzer-VI_Tiger.php * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_I Gallery Category:Tanks Category:German Tanks Category:Heavy Tanks Category:Bellwall Girls' High School Academy Category:Kuromorimine Girls' High School Category:TemporaryCategory